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ANNIE   W.FRANCHOT 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 

MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


C 


/>^ot^ 


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"A  Garden  is  a  lovesome  thing, 

God  wot, 
Rose  plot,  fringed  pool 

ferned  grot. 
The  veriest  School 
Of  peace,  and  yet  the  fool 
Contends  that  God  is  not— 
Not  God!  In  Gardens 

when  the  eve  is  cool? 
Nay,  but  I  have  a  sign, 
'Tis  very  sure  God  walks  in  mine" 


A  GARDEN  PARTY 

BY 

ANNIE  W.  FRANCHOT 


BUFFALO 

PETER  PAUL  AND  SON 

1914 


The  Emperor  and  Empress  of  the 
Narcissus 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daffodil 

The  Poet  of  the  Narcissus 

Mr.  Century 

The  entire  Lily  family 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fern 

Miss  Maiden  Hair  Fern 

Mr.  Four  O'clock 

Mr.  Johnnie  Jump-up 

Mr.  Cereus 

Miss  Mari  Gold 

Miss  Forget-me-not 

Miss  Lily-of-the-Valley 

Mr.  Love  in  the  Mist 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Iris,  from  Germany 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tulip  (Descendents  of  Darwin; 

Mr.  Jonquil 

Mrs.  Hyacinth 

Mrs.  Salvia  Splendens 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anchusa 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stokesia  and  family 

(Guests  of  the  Corn-flower  family) 

The  Misses  Wallflower 

Miss  Emily  Henderson 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aquilegia  Columbine 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Delphinium  of  England 

Mr.  Hibiscus 

Mr.  Sunflower 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gladioli 

Miss  Heliotrope 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fish  Geranium 

General  Grant  Geranium 

Martha  Washington  Geranium 

Madame  Crozy  Canna 

The  Misses  Chrysanthemum 

The  American  Beauty  Roses 

Miss  Climber  Rose,  called  "The  Bride 
of  the  Prairies" 

Mr.  Cockscomb 


Mr.  Ragged  Robin 

Mrs.  Daisy  of  England 

Miss  Purple  Violet  of  California 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hardy  Paeonie 

Mrs.  Phlox 

The  Misses  Phlox  Drummondii 

Miss  Dahlia 

Mr.  Sweet  William 

The  Canterbury  Belles 

The  Wild  Rose  Girls 

The  Jasmine  of  Florida 

The  Misses  Anemone  of  Japan 

Mr.  Hollyhock 

Miss  Dorothy  Perkins 

Madame  Gabriel  Luizet 

Miss  Crimson  Rambler 

Mr.  Rugosa  Rubra  and 

Mrs.  Rugosa  Alba  of  Japan 

Mr.  John  Hopper 

Mr.  Paul  Neyron 


The  Great  Magna  Charta 

The  Duchess  de  Caylis 

Miss  Glorie  Margottin 

Mr.  Jules  Margottin 

Miss  Clotilde  Soupert 

Miss  Beauty  of  Rosemawr 

Miss  Blush  Rose 

General  Jacqueminot 

Miss  Lady  Slipper 

Mr.  Larkspur 

The  Orchid  family 

Miss  Dwarf  Nasturtium 

The  Crocii  family 

The  Misses  Candytufft 

Sweet  Miss  Alyssum 

Miss  Fuchsia 

Miss  Mignonette 

Miss  Zinnia 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cosmos 


r    < 


Will    you    come  to  my    party? 
said  the  Lily  to  the  Rose. 


'Twill    be    the  gayest  party   as 
everybody  knows. 

So  don  your  pinkest  petals  and 
all  your  pretty  clothes 

For  'twill  be  the  gayest  party 
said  the  Lily  to  the  Rose. 


^  #arben  ^artp 


HE  flower  garden  was  all 
agog"  with  excitement  over 
the  coming  event.  The  Au- 
ratum  Lily  family  were  going 
to  give  a  garden  party  on  an 
early  June  afternoon  and 
evening  and  all  the  pretty 
flowers  who  had  received  in- 
vitations, were  nodding  their 
heads  with  deHghtful  anticipation. 
There  was  Mr.  Sunflower  who  was  a  little 
passe,  it  must  be  admitted,  but  popular  still. 
There  was  tall  Mr.  Gladiolis,  who  natural- 
ly feared  he  might  be  slighted  as  he  had 
only  recently  referred  Miss  Lilium  Auratum 
to  "Phyfe's  Seven  Thousand  Words," 
when  she  accented  the  o  instead  of  the  i 
in  his  name.  The  Misses  Chrysanthemum 
were  coming  from  the  city,  so  Miss  Colum- 
bine told  Madame  Crozy  Canna,  and  this 
20 


■.t'm^^ 


PERGOLA— THP]  HOME  OF  MRS.  AUEATUM  LILY 


A  GARDEN  PARTY 

bit  of  news  althoug-h  it  added  to  the 
pleasureable  excitement,  made  some  of 
the  garden  belles  feel  a  pang  of  jealousy, 
for  every  one  knew  how  popular  the 
Misses  Chrysanthemum  had  been  in  New 
York  all  the  winter.  Delicate  Miss  Helio- 
trope hoped  to  attend  if  the  weather  kept 
warm  and  Miss  Rose  Geranium  would  ac- 
company her.  The  Fish  Geraniums  were 
always  in  attendance  and  such  splendid, 
generous,  sturdy  fellows  they  were  too, 
especially  the  eldest,  who  was  named  for 
General  Grant.  He  would  accompany 
Mrs.  Martha  Washington  with  her  varie- 
gated family. 

The  exquisite  American  Beauties  and 
their  western  cousin,  Miss  Climber,  who 
was  called  'The  Pride  of  the  Prairie,"  are 
going.  Miss  Dorothy  Perkins  and  her 
sister,  Mrs.  Crimson  Rambler,  Madame 
Gabriel  Luizet,  John  Hopper,  Paul  Neyron 
and  of  course  that  brave  old  fellow.  Gen- 
eral Jacqueminot  will  be  there,  and  to  add 
to  the  girls'  excitement  the  "Champion  of 
the  World"  of  roses  has  been  asked  and 
has  accepted.  The  Duchess  de  Caylis  is 
21 


LITTLE  RAGGED  ROBIN  AND  HIS  BROTHER 


A  GARDEN  PARTY 

visiting  "Glorie  and  Jules  Margottin"  and 
will  add  much  to  the  brilliance  of  the 
scene  as  she  always  wears  wonderful  red 
gowns.  Clotilde  Soupert  and  her  friend, 
Beauty  of  Rosemawr,  have  accepted, 
and  so  have  the  exclusive  Orchid  family 
although  they  had  said  they  thought 
the  invitations  were  almost  too  general. 
The  Button  family  too,  with  their  many 
bachelor  sons,  are  going,  to  the  delight  of 
Mrs.  Pansie  who  has  several  daughters  "in 
the  market"  vulgarly  speaking.  The  eld- 
est Miss  Pansie  has  been  "out"  several 
seasons  and  strictly  entre  nous  Miss  Pansie 
looks  a  little  faded  and  quite  seedy  in  a 
strong  light.  In  Mrs.  Pansie's  large  family 
there  is  but  one  son,  little  Johnnie  Jump-up, 
and  sad  to  relate,  Johnnie  has  not  been  a 
source  of  pride  and  comfort  to  his  family, 
being  wild  and  roving  in  disposition,  small 
in  size  and  inferior  in  beauty. 

To  return  to  the  invitations,  Mr.  Lark- 
spur and  young  "Ragged  Robin"  are  going 
of  course— they  are  always  in  demand — 
they  dance  so  well  and  are  in  full  dress 
most  of  the  season.  That  dudish  Mr. 
24 


"In  all  places,  then,  and  in  all  seasons, 
Flowers  expand  their  light  and  soul  like 

wings 
Teaching  us  by  most  persuasive  reasons 
How  akin  thev  are  to  human  thing^s" 


A  GARDEN  PARTY 

Cockscomb  makes  one  man  more,  al- 
though he  is  so  stiff  and  awkward. 

Mrs.  Daisy  with  her  many  pretty  daugh- 
ters, and  their  fair  English  cousin  hope  to 
attend  in  their  new  spring  gowns.  That 
sweet  EngUsh  girl,  Miss  Purple  Violet,  and 
her  brother  too,  Mr.  White  Violet,  who 
seems  so  determined  to  remain  single  al- 
though many  a  pretty  flower  maiden  has 
smiled  her  sweetest  upon  him,  have 
both  accepted  the  invitation. 

Then  there  are  the  Japanese  cousins  of 
the  Laurels,  the  Azaleas  and  Rhododen- 
drons, and  the  Rugosas,  who  have  just  ar- 
rived from  Japan;  of  course  Mrs.  Auratum 
will  have  them  as  she  knew  them  when 
in  Japan.  The  Poppy  girls,  too,  every  one 
a  beauty,  especially  Miss  Escholtzia  whose 
home  was  in  California,  but  who  is  now 
visiting  in  the  East,  are  asked.  Some  of 
these  girls  are  so  lanquid  and  nod  their 
heads  so  sleepily  at  times  that  rumor 
whispers  they  sometimes  take  opium. 

The  Paeonies,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phlox,  Mrs. 
Dahlia,  little  Miss  Ladyslipper,  nicknamed 
"Cinderella",  the  large  family  of  Pinks,  with 
26 


A  GARDEN  PARTY 

their  neighbor  sweet  Mr.  William  and 
those  pretty  but  wild  Rose  girls,  are  all 
coming  from  the  country,  while  from  out 
of  town  there  are  the  Canterbury  belles 
who  are  always  asked  as  they  add 
much  to  the  pleasure  and  beauty  of  any 
gathering.  Miss  Jasmine  and  the  Anem- 
one girls  are  going  under  the  chaperon- 
age  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fern  who  have  their 
daughter,  Miss  Maiden  Hair  to  introduce 
this  season. 

Mr.  Four  O'clock  accepted  for  the  eve- 
ning, he  never  goes  out  before  sundown. 

Mrs.  Night-blooming  Cereus  will  attend, 
but  not  until  late  in  the  evening  as  her 
beauty  can  not  stand  the  light  of  day,  al- 
though she  is  exquisitely  beautiful  by  gas- 
light. Of  course  the  Wallflowers  will 
bs  there,  their  sweetness  makes  them  pop- 
ular but  their  evasive  shyness  will  make 
them  keep  close  to  their  chaperone  all  the 
evening. 

Miss  Mari  Gold  thinks  she  can  do  al- 
most anything  without  criticism  from  Mrs. 
Grundy,  so  she  is  going  without  a  chaper- 
one.    Dear  little    blue-eyed  Miss  Forget- 


*'Um  mich  her  die  Rosen  nicken 
Senden  ihren  duft  zu  mir 

Wohin  mein  auge  nur  thut  blicken 
Ein  wunder  offenbart  sich  mir." 


A  GARDEN  PARTY 

me-not  whom  everybody  loves  and  fair 
Lily-of-the-Valley  are  going  with  Mr. 
Love-in-the-Mist  and  old  Dame  Gossip 
says  the  young  man  is  trying  to  find  just 
where  his  heart  lies,  for  "How  happy 
could  he  be  with  either,  w^ere  t'other  dear 
charmer  away." 

All  the  cousins  of  the  Auratums  are 
asked  of  course— the  Yellow  Lilies,  the 
Day  Lilies,  the  Iris  family,  the  Daffodils, 
the  Emperor  and  Empress  of  Narcissus, 
Mr.  Jonquil,  the  intellectual  Poet  Narcissus, 
the  Tulips,  the  Hyacinth,  and  the  Crocii. 
There  are  Miss  Zinnia  and  Miss  Candy- 
tuff  t;  sweet  Miss  Mignonette  and  Miss 
Alyssum:  Mrs.  Salvia-Splendens,  and  Mr. 
Hibiscus,  and  the  Dwarf  Nasturtiums,  and 
many,  many  more.  I  will  not  attempt  to 
give  you  the  whole  list,  having  given  the 
most  important  guests. 

The  day  and  the  hour  so  long  anticipat- 
ed at  last  has  come,  and  the  garden  is  most 
attractive  with  its  pretty  w^alks  and 
fountains,  its  shaded  nooks  and  corners, 
and  the  conservatory  at  one  end.  It  is 
brilliantly    lighted    by    fire-flies,   and  the 

30 


A  GARDEN  PARTY 

golden  bells  of  the  Abutilon  chime  sweet- 
ly now  and  again.  The  weather  has  been 
very  warm  for  some  time  past,  quite  un- 
seasonably so  and  on  this  day  the  sun  is 
shining  his  brightest  without  once  hiding 
his  face.  Mrs.  Auratum  and  her  daughter, 
Miss  Lilium,  are  ready  and  waiting  to  re- 
ceive their  guests.  They  are  standing  near 
the  entrance  of  the  Pergola  under  the  shade 
of  a  broad-spreading  Palm.  The  mother's 
dress  is  of  white  satin  with  rich  red  em- 
broidery, while  Miss  Lilium,  so  tall  and 
graceful,  is  wearing  a  gown  of  purest  white, 
with  dew-drops  for  jewels.  The  Lilies 
are  an  aristocratic  family  of  high  birth  and 
ancient  lineage,  no  member  of  which  had 
ever  been  known  to  either  ''toil  or  spin;" 
it  has  been  said  of  them,  as  you  probably 
know,  that  "Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was 
not  arrayed  like  one  of  these."  At  last 
the  guests  begin  to  come.  Miss  Fuchsia 
(who  always  insists  upon  the  very  latest 
pronunciation  of  her  name)  is  the  first  to 
arrive  with  a  chaperone  who,  being  both 
deaf  and  dumb,  is  always  popular  with 
giddy  Miss  Fuchsia  and  her  friends.    The 

32 


A  GARDEN  PARTY 

young  lady  is  dressed  most  gaudily  in 
pink  skirts  and  purple  paniers.  Of  the 
large  family  of  Sweet  Peas,  Miss  Emily 
Henderson  is  the  only  one  to  come;  she  is 
dressed  in  white  with  pale  green  trim- 
mings; then  there  is  Miss  Heliotrope,  who 
always  wears  shades  of  purple.  Miss  Mari 
Gold  came  next,  gorgeous  in  bright  yellow. 
One  by  one  the  guests  arrived  until  all 
were  present.  The  Chrysanthemums  from 
New  York  caused  quite  a  stir  and  flutter  — 
their  modish  gowns  were  the  envy  of 
many  a  country  blossom. 
"So  dame  and  damsel  glittered  at  the  feast. 
Variously  gay  .  .  . 
So  dame  and  damsel  cast  the  simple  white, 
And  glowing  in  all  colours,  the  live  grass, 
Rose-champion,  King-cup,  Blue-bell,  Pop- 
py, glanced  about  the  revels." 
The  music,  furnished  by  the  Bumble- 
Bee  orchestra,  is  unusually  sweet  and 
entrancing.  During  the  afternoon  Miss 
Jennie  Wren  sang  a  solo,  every  note 
of  which  was  so  perfect  and  sweet  that  the 
most  critical  were  enthusiastic  over  the 
dainty    songstress.      Mrs.  Honey-Bee  fur- 

34 


^i.^M 

BP^ 

rf  ^Iftit^R':- 

I  • 

LITTLE  TOMMY  PERIWINKLE 

A  GARDEN  PARTY 

nished  the  supper,  after  which  the  music 
grew  more  lively  and  now  the  garden  is 
alive  with  music  and  dancing. 

The  merriment  is  at  its  height,  and 
the  musicians  seem  inspired  so  merrily 
they  buzz.  The  garden  is  a  picture  to 
behold.  The  dress  of  the  men  is  hardly 
less  gorgeous  than  that  of  the  women. 
Even  old  Mr.  Century  Plant  has  blossomed 
out  for  this  occasion,  altho'  he  is  said  to 
be  in  his  hundredth  year.  He  is  leading 
one  of  the  "buds"  of  the  evening,  little 
Miss  Blush-Rose  out  to  dance  when— 
Hush !  Hark !  What  is  this  confusion  of 
voices !  All  of  Mrs.  Apple-Blossom's  child- 
ren are  fluttering  at  her  feet  screaming  in 
terror,  "Jack  Frost  is  coming !  Jack  Frost 
is  coming"  !  !  Oh  happy  day  but  sorry 
night !  The  giant  Jack  Frost,  the  terror  of 
flower-children,  and  indeed  of  their  parents 
and  elders  too,  is  bearing  down  upon 
the  pretty  garden,  and  all  are  huddled  to- 
gether shivering  with  cold  and  trembling 
with  fear.  The  music  ceases  and  the 
faces  that  an  hour  before  were  flushed 
with  happy  enjoyment,  are  now  pale  as 

36 


A  GARDEN   PARTY 

death.  All  are  listening  breathlessly  to 
the  sound  coming  every  instant  nearer 
and  nearer.  At  last  the  giant's  breath  is 
upon  them  and  all  grow  cold  and  weak. 
Frail  Miss  Heliotrope  is  the  first  to  suc- 
cumb and  before  anyone  can  go  to  her 
assistance  she  is  lying  black  and  lifeless 
on  the  garden  path.  One  after  another 
the  Poppy  girls  droop  their  nodding 
heads  and  fall.  All  her  bags  of  gold  can 
not  support  Miss  Mari  Gold  and  she  soon 
falls  at  the  feet  of  Mr.  Cosmos  who  in 
stooping  to  lift  her,  falls  prone  beside  her, 
never  to  rise  again.  The  beautiful  hostess 
and  her  daughter  look  tearfully  upon 
the  heart-breaking  scene  before  them, 
turn  their  sad,  pale  faces  to  the  man  in 
the  moon,  who  is  smiling  blandly  down, 
not  seeming  to  see  their  distress,  then 
bow  their  proud  heads  to  their  fate  and 
sink  to  the  ground.  Soon  the  man  in  the 
moon  can  no  longer  smile  on  so  sad 
a  sight,  and  he  and  all  the  little  stars  that 
had  twinkled  so  merrily  an  hour  before, 
now  hide  their  faces  behind  a  black  rain- 
cloud  and  weep  great  tears  of  rain  over  the 

33 


A  GARDEN  PARTY 

pretty  flower  garden.  This  frightens 
Jack  Frost  away  for  he  can  never  en- 
dure darkness  and  rain,  but  his  wicked 
work  is  done  and  nothing  can  bring  life 
again  into  the  hearts  of  the  frail  flower 
men  and  women.  Only  the  hardy  family 
of  Perennials  live  to  tell  the  sad  story  of 
the  visit  of  Jack  Frost  and  they  have 
handed  it  down  from  generation  to  gener- 
ation to  the  Flower  Kingdom  of  to-day. 


The  garden  is  deserted 

And  all  so  still 

I  know  Jack  Frost  has  entered  there, 

The  song  of  the  wren. 

The  hum  of  the  bee, 

The  low  wind  sighing  sadly. 

The  falling  leaves, 

The  flowers  so  fair. 

All  are  withered  and  still 

In  the  Garden  chill. 

40 


IW3J6014 


